UDC looks out for pets
Ancient City Chapter No. 2232, United Daughters of Confederacy, recently collected items for the First Coast Humane Society. Members brought in dog and cat food, litter, animal toys and towels to be used by the organization.

Club Notes
Dinner dance
The German American Club of St. Augustine will host a dinner dance at 6:30 p.m. Saturday. A dinner of schweinebraten, spinach, mashed potato, salad, coffee and desert will be served.

Breakfast bunch to discuss wardrobe
The Enterprising Women's Leadership Institute of Florida presents "A Wardrobe That Works for You" at its Friday meeting of the Breakfast Bunch at 7:30 a.m. at the Wildflower Caf, corner of Dondanville Road and A1A. No reservations are required.

NEWS & NOTES
Go cruising
Anyone interested in joining the Ketterlinus High School and St. Joseph Academy alumni classes of 1957-60 on a Royal Caribbean cruise Oct. 22-27 is invited to call Penny Jaye, 794-1334, for details.

Club to explore roots of conflict
Misconceptions about Muslims and the Islamic faith are numerous. In order to understand the current sectarian violence sweeping Iraq, one must understand the roots of the religion.

Contractor's course at FCTI
First Coast Technical Institute is offering a 24-hour program that complies with St. Johns County Ordinance 95-61, enabling contractors to become licensed in construction trades.

'Water' is theme for archaeology month
March is Archaeology Month in Florida, and theme this year is "Water."The St. Augustine Archaeological Association (SAAA) will sponsor two programs on that theme. For a city like St. Augustine, which depended for centuries on water-borne carriers as principal contact with the rest of the world, local waters are a prime source of archaeological/historical discovery.

Go & Do
TODAY
Movement class: Nia movement classes begin at noon each Monday at St. Johns Cultural Arts Center, 370 A1A Beach Blvd., St. Augustine Beach, next to the St. Johns County pier. Instructor Ellie Van Valkenburg will teach a non-impact, aerobic, total workout for the mind, body, spirit and emotions. Cost is $10 per session. Call 797-6798.

Limit number of shoes when flying
The Camileon is a dress shoe with an adjustable heel that converts quickly and easily from high to low. Basically, the lower half of the heel is snapped forward and stowed under the shoe's instep.

Study: Obesity surgery triples among U.S. teens
CHICAGO -- The number of U.S. children having obesity surgery has tripled in recent years, surging at a pace that could mean more than 1,000 such operations this year, new research suggests.

Ibuprofen beats other painkillers in study of kids' pain
CHICAGO -- Deciding which medicine to give a child in pain just got easier: The first head-to-head study of three common painkillers found that ibuprofen works best, at least for kids with broken bones, bruises and sprains.

NATIONAL REPORT
Doctors say Cheney has blood clot in leg
WASHINGTON -- Vice President Dick Cheney is being treated for a blood clot in his left leg, his office announced Monday. Such clots, when untreated, can be deadly if they break loose and reach the heart, brain or lungs. They are sometimes caused by extended air travel. Cheney returned last week from a trip around the world.

NATIONAL REPORT
Classmates wait for news from bus wrecked in Ga.
BLUFFTON, Ohio -- Players on Bluffton University's baseball team and their parents returned home Sunday, two days after a bus plunged off a roadway in Georgia and claimed the lives of four of their teammates and two others.

Value of Dems' tax credits debated
WASHINGTON -- After years of claiming that Republicans were cluttering the tax code with provisions that enriched the wealthy, leading Democrats in Congress want to add more tax credits and deductions to benefit narrow groups of largely middle-class constituents.

Obama, Clinton extoll Selma legacy
SELMA, Ala. -- Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., describing himself as "the offspring of the movement," paid homage Sunday to the civil rights protesters whose violent beatings here at the hands of state troopers and sheriff's deputies 42 years ago sparked national outrage and led to legislation ensuring the voting rights of African Americans throughout the South.

Some officers hit street with little training
Four months into his job, a police officer in Mississippi holds a gun to the head of an unarmed teenager and puts him in a chokehold. A rookie officer in Illinois gets into a car chase that kills a driver. And a new campus policeman in Indiana shoots an unarmed student to death.

Center for Civil War naval icon set to open
NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- A red signal lantern appears and disappears in the distance until, as one survivor aboard an iconic ironclad lost at sea during the Civil War would write to his wife, "The Monitor was no more."

U.S. enters sensitive neighborhood
BAGHDAD, Iraq -- Just after 8 a.m. Sunday, U.S. and Iraqi troops tapped on Saif Mirwan's front gate in the Shiite stronghold of Sadr City and politely asked to search his house. They looked in each room, asked how his family was doing, checked out the pigeons he keeps on his roof, and then left with handshakes and a thank you.

Proposed beach rules could bring big changes
The St. Johns County Commission will consider new beach rules Tuesday that may mean less beach to drive on, earlier beach closing and later opening times, more conspicuous marking of sea turtle nests and stricter enforcement of beach driving rules, among others.

Proposed beach rules could bring big changes
The St. Johns County Commission will consider new beach rules today that may mean less beach to drive on, earlier beach closing and later opening times, more conspicuous marking of sea turtle nests and stricter enforcement of beach driving rules, among others.

Florence Rubin
Florence Rubin, 83, of St. Augustine, died March 3, 2007, at Flagler Hospital.

Azalea Festival
Body Copy.Shoppers and walkers turn out to enjoy the sun and the goods for sale on St. Johns Avenue at the 61st annual Florida Azalea Festival Sunday in Palatka. The rainy weather on Satuday kept crowds down, but festival organizers say Sunday's weather brought the crowds out. Photo by Daron Dean.

Nicholas Scott Haynes
Nicholas Scott Haynes, 17, of St. Augustine, died March 2, 2007, at Shands Hospital in Jacksonville.

Preparing for terrorists
There is only one word to describe my time here in the Philippines: surreal.
Let me start with the craziest thing that's happened.

Veteran recalls combat in France
In his first weeks in France during 1944, 19-year-old U.S. Army Private Emmett L. "Jack" Worley had been shelled, straffed by machine guns, driven his Jeep through heavy German rifle fire, fought enemy soldiers hand-to-hand, killed some and saw buddies die next to him.

NATIONAL REPORT
Classmates wait for news from bus wrecked in Ga.
BLUFFTON, Ohio -- Players on Bluffton University's baseball team and their parents returned home Sunday, two days after a bus plunged off a roadway in Georgia and claimed the lives of four of their teammates and two others.

Police Report
The following was compiled from police reports collected from the St. Johns County Sheriff's Office (SJCSO), St. Augustine Police Department (SAPD), St. Augustine Beach Police Department (SABPD) and Florida Highway Patrol (FHP):

Putnam escapee captured
A Putnam County Jail inmate escaped Sunday, taking advantage of what Putnam County Sheriff's deputies call a flaw in the jail design.

Festival showcases Native American culture
There was no rain dance to be found at St. Augustine's 16th annual American Indian Festival on Sunday. The organizers were happy to have sunshine and crowds after Saturday's downpour.

For the Record
The Circuit 7 Juvenile Justice Council of St. Johns County will meet Wednesday at 10:30 a.m. at the St. Johns County Health & Human Services mental health conference room, 1955 U.S. Highway 1 South.

Rich registers to run again
With 20 months until the 2008 general election, St. Johns County Commission Chairman Ben Rich registered to run for a second term Monday, hoping to draw his political enemies out of anonymity.

Police Report: Unlocked doors lead to car thefts
St. Johns County
Unlocked doors lead to car thefts: More than $2,000 worth of goods was stolen from three cars, all with unlocked doors, on Trillo Street in St. Augustine Shores early Friday morning, according to the St. Johns County Sheriff's Office.

Florence Rubin
Florence Rubin, 83, of St. Augustine, died March 3, 2007, at Flagler Hospital.

Vernon Ruble
Vernon Ruble, 78, passed away Feb. 25, 2007, at Flagler Hospital in St. Augustine. He was born in Annapolis, Mo., on August 23, 1928. He grew up in Minimum, Mo., and served in the U.S. Navy before settling in Lansing, Mich., where he worked as a commercial artist in architecture, design and photographic studios. He moved to St. Augustine in 1996.

Nicholas Scott Haynes
Nicholas Scott Haynes, 17, of St. Augustine, died March 2, 2007, at Shands Hospital in Jacksonville.

Eleanor Keeley
Eleanor Keeley, 85, of St. Augustine died March 2, 2007, at Flagler Hospital. Mrs. Keeley was a native of New Haven, Conn., and had resided in St. Augustine for the past 22 years. Mrs. Keeley was a homemaker. She was of the Catholic faith.

James Alexander Weidman Jr.
Eleanor Keeley, 85, of St. Augustine died March 2, 2007, at Flagler Hospital. Mrs. Keeley was a native of New Haven, Conn., and had resided in St. Augustine for the past 22 years. Mrs. Keeley was a homemaker. She was of the Catholic faith.

Nicholas Scott Haynes
Nicholas Scott Haynes, 17, of St. Augustine died March 2, 2007, at Shands Hospital in Jacksonville.

Rich is doing good job as chairman
Editor: Ben Rich is human, and refreshingly so. Mr. Rich was voicing the frustration of many who witnessed the incident at Columbine. He was speaking figuratively, not literally, and the editors should know this. Debate and discussion are part of our system, but in today's politically correct atmosphere delays and indecision cost lives and money.

Letter: Tax debate stems from mismanagement
Editor: Amidst excitement of the discussion whether to replace all or part of the property tax with a larger sales tax, it's easy to overlook the core problem: dramatic increases in local government spending.

Letter: Rich, Manuel off-base in comments, observations
Editor: I was directed to a Web site (localsafety.org) that contained video of the Feb. 21 county budget meeting. My blood went cold when I saw how callous, misinformed and dangerous statements rolled off the tongues of County Commission Chairman Ben Rich and Vice Chairman Tom Manuel.

Perspective: Moon base makes more sense than shuttle
WASHINGTON -- You might not have noticed, but we broke another space record last month when astronaut Michael Lopez-Alegria logged 67 hours of spacewalking. If you consider that the equivalent of the Guinness record for pogo-stick bouncing (23.11 miles in 12 hours and 27 minutes) -- amazing but pointless -- I agree with you. There's nothing quite as beautiful as the space station and the shuttle that services it, and nothing quite as useless.

Public shouldn't tolerate Rich's comments
Editor: Bullying and reckless behavior should not be tolerated. When you say something irresponsible that "pops into your mind'' and make a statement about it in open forum, you either mean what you say or you should not be participating in the government of people. It is incompetence at its best, Mr. Rich.

Perspective: A tough sentence
Lots of people who know about such things have been waiting to see what the Supreme Court would do about the case of Morton Berger. Mr. Berger was sentenced to 200 years in prison, with no possibility of probation or early release, for possessing 20 pornographic images of children.

Perspective: Let them eat tofu!
Even right-wingers who know that "global warming" is a crock do not seem to grasp what the tree-huggers are demanding. Liberals want mass starvation and human devastation.

Perspective: Funding or defunding the war
WASHINGTON -- The Democratic leaders now running Congress are quickly learning that gaining control of the power of the purse has not given them any automatic device for ending the war in Iraq.

Letter: Animals in our community need help
Editor: A recent writer's pleas for taking animals to the Northeast Florida Humane Society in Putnam County, which he states is a "no-kill" facility vs. animal control, begs for clarification.

Letter: Rich is the best County Commissioner in years
Editor: In regards to the controversy over Commission Chairman Ben Rich's recent comments, I for one, smell a railroad job here by the developers and lobbyists who don't like Commissioner Rich because he is for the people and not the big money boys.

NBA: Nash leads Suns past Lakers
WASHINGTON -- Gilbert Arenas made three free throws with one-tenth of a second remaining to give the Washington Wizards a wild 107-106 victory over the Golden State Warriors on Sunday.

NHL: Pittsburgh edges Philadelphia, 4-3
PITTSBURGH -- Erik Christensen twice scored tying goals in regulation, then teamed with Sidney Crosby to win it in the shootout as the Pittsburgh Penguins swept a season series from Philadelphia for the first time by winning 4-3 Sunday.

Jags agree to 5-year deal with Northcutt
JACKSONVILLE -- The Jacksonville Jaguars believe they found a legitimate deep threat in free agency, agreeing to a five-year contract with former Cleveland receiver Dennis Northcutt on Sunday.

Rangers 2, Islanders 1, SO
NEW YORK -- Rick DiPietro stopped an Islanders-record 56 shots, but counterpart Henrik Lundqvist made the biggest save, denying Randy Robitaille in the shootout to give the Rangers a 2-1 victory Monday night in the New York-New York matchup.

Texas' Sosa finds his power stroke
Sammy Sosa found his power stroke, Kenny Rogers finally gave up a run and the Arizona Diamondbacks made it two triple plays in one weekend at spring training.

Column: Mets' Wright would switch positions to make room for A-Rod
PORT ST. LUCIE -- Can you imagine Alex Rodriguez in a Mets uniform in 2008? It's not just impossible, you say, it's heresy. Or is it? The idea of A-Rod crossing enemy lines has strong support from none other than David Wright who says he'd give up his position to make room for the Yankee third baseman.

Monday's NBA Capsules
CLEVELAND -- LeBron James scored 32 points and the Cleveland Cavaliers held off the Houston Rockets 91-85 on Monday night to spoil Yao Ming's first game back from a leg injury.

Four-way playoff at Honda
PALM BEACH GARDENS, -- Only 3 feet separated Boo Weekley from everything he's spent the last decade chasing. A PGA Tour victory, the big winner's check, a two-year exemption, all of them a mere short putt away.

Montoya spins teammate, wins Busch race
MEXICO CITY -- Juan Pablo Montoya spun teammate Scott Pruett to take the lead with eight laps left, then held off Denny Hamlin to win the Busch Series race on Sunday for his first NASCAR victory.

Crist's State of the State will encourage cooperation
TALLAHASSEE -- Gov. Charlie Crist's first State of the State speech today will continue the optimism that's abounded since he took office, and he'll urge a bipartisan approach to providing property tax relief, higher teacher pay and public safety.

Miami police get MySpace page
MIAMI -- The Miami-Dade Police Department has created its own MySpace page to discourage sexual predators who visit the popular social networking website, a press release said.

Shuttle begins move back to hangar
CAPE CANAVERAL -- Space shuttle Atlantis on Sunday began a slow trek from the launch pad back to an enormous hangar so technicians can inspect damage caused by an explosive hail storm last week and determine what kind of repairs should be made.

Crist says 'It's a new day' at FEA building dedication
TALLAHASSEE -- Gov. Charlie Crist received a warm reception Monday from the Florida Education Association at a ceremony dedicating FEA's headquarters to the late Doug Jamerson -- a legislator, state education commissioner, labor secretary and one of Crist's high school teachers.

3 dead in collision with patrol car
HAINES CITY -- Three people died and two more suffered serious injuries after their van was struck by a sheriff's deputy rushing to aid another officer in this central Florida town, authorities said.

News briefs from around Florida
GAINESVILLE -- Two Florida groups have received a $10 million grant as part of a partnership to help children make a smoother transition when they start school, education officials said Monday.

WORLD REPORT
U.S. sends aid to Bolivia flood victims
TRINIDAD, Bolivia -- A U.S. cargo plane delivered medicine and supplies Monday to Bolivia's flood-ravaged eastern lowlands, yet American aid was dwarfed by a $15 million pledge from regional rival Venezuela.

Iran providing advanced training to Hamas, Israel says
TEL AVIV, Israel -- A year-old international campaign to isolate the Hamas-led Palestinian government unintentionally has pushed the militant Islamic group into a dangerous and growing alliance with Iran, Israel's top internal-intelligence chief said Monday.

Bomber hits Baghdad book mart, kills 30
BAGHDAD, Iraq -- For ages, the Mutanabi book mart was a feeding ground for Iraq's intellectuals, serving up a rich menu of history and philosophy texts, novels and biographies, and atlases and manuscripts to the Middle East's most voracious readers.

Nudists sweat it out at Dutch gym
HETEREN, Netherlands -- A dozen middle-age and elderly men were game enough for a Dutch gym's invitation to work out nude. But they were vastly outnumbered by the dozens of journalists watching them lift, row and cycle in the buff.

Bush reaches out to the Latin American poor
WASHINGTON -- President Bush, laying the groundwork for an eight-day trip to Latin America that's likely to deepen the struggle for influence with Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, acknowledged Monday that U.S.-backed economic policies and free-trade agreements have failed to lift millions of Latin Americans from poverty.

Smith's grave becomes top tourist attraction
NASSAU, Bahamas -- Even after her death, Anna Nicole Smith is the center of attention. The ex-Playboy model's grave has become the No. 1 spot for Bahamas tourism -- pushing a ritzy aquarium-themed resort into second place for the first time in years.